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Physical Measurement Laboratory /Quantum Electromagnetics Division

Quantum Sensors Group

The Quantum Sensors Group, part of NIST’s Physical Measurement Laboratory, and the Quantum Electromagnetics Division, advances the detection of photons and particles in a variety of application areas using superconducting sensors and readout electronics.

quantum sensors group members

Quantum Sensors Group Members

The Group focuses on:

  • quantum effects, including superconductivity;
  • low temperatures to reduce thermal noise; and
  • the development of advanced sensors.

Major activities of the Group include:

  • superconducting x-ray and gamma-ray spectrometers for applications that include materials analysis and nuclear materials accounting
  • superconducting microbolometers for applications that include concealed weapons detection and understanding the early universe 
  • advanced cryogenics to aid the dissemination of cryogenic sensors
  • the determination of x-ray fundamental parameters to facilitate materials analysis by x-ray techniques
  • support of U.S. industries that develop or use advanced cryogenics and cryogenic sensors

News and Updates

a galaxy cluster

Shedding Light on Dark Matter with SQUIDs

Perhaps fortunately, most folks haven't noticed that 85% of the Milky Way is missing: The kind of familiar, ordinary matter we know – made up of protons

Projects and Programs

1836-MKIDs array

Novel Devices

Emerging devices such as parametric amplifiers can provide new capabilities for cryogenic sensor systems. The Quantum Sensors Group is studying a range of new
thin-film payload

Cryogenics

Low temperatures suppress noise and make quantum phenomena accessible. As a result, cryogenics play a crucial role in precision measurements.
scanning electron microscope

Quantum Microcalorimeters

Superconducting devices at very low temperatures can be used to measure very small amounts of energy. Using this effect, the Quantum Sensors Group is building
FIB cross section of a SQUID multiplexer integrated circuit

Fabrication

The application of modern micro- and nanofabrication techniques to superconducting and cryogenic electronics is enabling new capabilities and applications.

Publications

Design of a 3000 pixel transition-edge sensor x-ray spectrometer for microcircuit tomography

Author(s)
Paul Szypryt, Douglas Bennett, William J. Boone, Amber L. Dagel, G Dalton, William Doriese, Malcolm Durkin, Joseph Fowler, Edward Garboczi, Jonathon D. Gard, Gene Hilton, Jozsef Imrek, E S. Jimenez, Vincent Y. Kotsubo, K Larson, Zachary H. Levine, John Mates, D McArthur, Kelsey Morgan, Nathan J. Nakamura, Galen O'Neil, Nathan Ortiz, Christine G. Pappas, Carl Reintsema, Dan Schmidt, Daniel Swetz, K R. Thompson, Joel Ullom, C Walker, Joel C. Weber, Abigail Wessels, J W. Wheeler
Feature sizes in integrated circuits have decreased substantially over time, and it has become increasingly difficult to three-dimensionally image these complex

Absolute energies and emission line shapes of the x-ray lines of lanthanide metals

Author(s)
Joseph Fowler, Galen O'Neil, Bradley K. Alpert, Douglas Bennett, Edward V. Denison, William Doriese, Gene Hilton, Lawrence T. Hudson, Young I. Joe, Kelsey Morgan, Daniel Schmidt, Daniel Swetz, Csilla I. Szabo-Foster, Joel Ullom
We use an array of transition-edge sensors, cryogenic microcalorimeters with 4 eV energy resolution, to measure the x-ray emission-line profiles of four

Awards

NRC Postdoctoral Opportunities

Contacts

Group Leader

Project Leaders

Project Leaders